Lawrence's Mitchell wins Times' Offensive Player of the Week

Mary Iuvone/For the TimesSemei Mitchell carried 29 times for 144 yards and a TD for Lawrence last Saturday.

LAWRENCE – Whether it’s stuck in his belly on a handoff, tossed to him on a sweep or launched to him on an 88-yard bomb, Lawrence High School running back Semei Mitchell wants the ball in his hands.

Rob Radice, the head coach of the Cardinals, is always happy to oblige.

Mitchell, who has been a beast of burden for Lawrence all season, carried 29 times for 144 yards and a TD in a 28-14 victory over Hightstown last Saturday. He returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown. He caught two passes from his own quarterback for 41 yards and two others from Hightstown quarterback Dustin Kollman.

For a performance that led Lawrence to its third straight win and put the Cardinals strongly back in the playoff hunt, Mitchell was selected as the Times’ Offensive Player of the Week.

“We like to control the clock, we like to run the ball down hill and Semei had the hot hand,’’ Radice said. “He was running hard.

“Whether it’s rushing or receiving, Semei always wants the ball. He is a compact running back with good vision. He likes the ball in his hands.’’

Radice and Lawrence like it there, too.

Mitchell, a 6-foot, 210-pound junior, has proven to be a threat from both the deep spot in the backfield and on the edge as a receiver.

Mitchell has carried 183 times for 851 yards – a 4.7-yard per attempt average. He has only seven receptions but two of those went for touchdowns – including a school-record 88-yarder against Princeton.

With three games remaining against Northern Burlington, Willingboro, and Hopewell Valley, Mitchell has the chance to reach the coveted 1,000-yard mark. Not bad for a kid who only saw spot duty behind Jahad Bryant last year as a sophomore.

“One thing about our staff, we constantly demand the best from our players,” Radice said. “Semei is a basketball and a track kid, but he has bought into our program.

“He understands now that you work hard in practice and Saturday is the payoff. You don’t just show up on gameday.’’

Mitchell started on defense as a sophomore and got “a fair amount of touches’’ according to Radice behind the productive Bryant.

“All our kids needed to learn that we have zero tolerance for anything but their best,’’ Radice said.